Coffee has many benefits other than just helping you wake up in the morning and starting your day on the right note. Although that benefit alone might be the biggest reason why you drink coffee, scientists are finding a lot of positive health benefits that result in drinking coffee. So, without further adieu, here are 45 benefits of drinking coffee backed by scientific studies!
Could Reduce Depression
Studies have concluded drinking caffeinated coffee can be linked to a decreased risk of developing depression. This is thought largely in part to the positive neurological effects of caffeine that contribute to helping the body naturally produce more dopamine.
Improved Memory
A study done by John Hopkins University found that consuming caffeine after a learning session may contribute to better long-term memory on what was learned.
Other studies have also found that caffeine can help short-term memory as well, it can be thought of as a cognitive enhancer.
Could Reduce Risk of Mouth and Throat Cancers
In a recent study, researchers discovered a connection between high coffee consumption and a lowered risk of mouth and throat cancers among test subjects.
Could Improve Blood Circulation
Research has found that caffeine could improve your blood circulation. In a study, it was found that coffee significantly improved blood circulation in the fingers of test subjects. Measuring blood flow in people’s fingers is an indicator of how well the body’s smaller blood vessels are functioning.
Could Reduce the Risk of Liver Cancer
Recent studies have found a correlation between drinking coffee and a reduced risk of developing liver cancer compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Makes You Feel Happier
Caffeine triggers neurological effects in the brain that contribute to the production of dopamine and an increase in feeling more awake which overall contributes to coffee making you feel happier.
Lower Risk of Getting Type 2 Diabetes
Studies are finding coffee drinkers are at a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and they believe it may be due largely to coffee helping your body process sugar better.
Could Lower the Risk of Stroke
Studies have found that for women drinking at least one cup of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of stroke. Some studies have that women who drink coffee every day have a lower risk of stroke of as much as 20%.
Reduced Risk of Parkinson’s Disease
Some studies have found a correlation between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of people developing Parkinson’s disease.
May Reduce the Risk of Developing Melanoma
Researchers have published a study that has concluded there is a link between a decrease in risk for developing melanoma associated with drinking coffee.
Reduce Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s
Studies are also finding caffeine intake significantly lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Increased Reaction Time
Coffee can get your body moving and studies are finding it can increase your reaction time. This can be especially beneficial if you are driving early in the morning where you’ll need to quickly react to anything on the road.
It Could Contribute Living Longer
Over 200 studies have concluded drinking 3-4 cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of death and heart disease when compared to drinking no coffee.
May Lower Belly Fat in Women
A study published in The Journal of Nutrition found a correlation between women who drink two to three cups of coffee a day tend to have lower abdominal fat compared to women who drink less than two cups of coffee a day.
Could Decrease Risk of Breast Cancer
A study from 2011 has found that people who drink coffee have a reduced risk of breast cancer. Although there are other lifestyle factors that contribute to a reduced risk of breast cancer, researchers found that there was a correlation between coffee drinkers and lower instances of breast cancer compared to those who don’t drink coffee.
Improves Athletic Endurance
The University of Georgia published a study that found that between 3 and 7 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight can increase endurance performance an average of 24%.
Coffee Can Improve Teamwork
A study done by Ohio State University in 2018 found that the test group that drank coffee before working with the test group gave more positive reviews of their group’s performance and their performance on a task compared to those who did not. Another study found that those who drank coffee beforehand also talked more and were more on-topic. Which resulted in more teamwork and better work performance.
May Help Prevent Cavities
The American Chemical Society published a study suggesting that black coffee might help prevent cavities due to roasted coffee beans containing antibacterial activities that work against specific microorganisms that cause cavities.
May Protect You From Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
A promising study found that people who have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease may be able to reverse the condition by drinking coffee every day.
Coffee May Prevent Gallstones
According to a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones. Out of 104,493 individuals tested, those who drank more than six cups of coffee a day had a 23% lower risk of developing gallstones compared to individuals who did not drink coffee. The study also concluded drinking just one extra cup of coffee a day was associated with a 3% lower risk.
Reduced Risk of Prostate Cancer
A study done by the Harvard School of Public Health has found a correlation between men who drink coffee on a regular basis having a lower risk of developing a lethal form of prostate cancer.
Protects Your Heart
A recent study has found that consuming the amount of caffeine found in four cups of coffee can promote the movement of a regulatory protein into mitochondria which enhances their function and protects cardiovascular cells from getting damaged and protecting your heart.
Could Lower Risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
The American Academy of Neurology published a study concluding that people who did not drink coffee were at about one and a half times more likely to develop MS compared to people who drank at least four cups of coffee a day.
May Help Prevent Retinal Damage
A study done by Cornell University concluded that due to coffee containing 7-9% of a strong antioxidant called chlorogenic acid that helps prevent retinal degeneration in mice, drinking coffee may be effective in preventing retinal damage in humans. Scientists know that chlorogenic acid can be absorbed in the human digestive system and plan to study the positive effects it may have on human eyes in future studies.
Could Contribute to an Increase Muscular Strength and Power When Exercising
Multiple studies have concluded that coffee can contribute to an increase in muscular strength and power, as well as reducing pain and improving circulation.
Reduces Inflammation
Coffee contains a ton of antioxidants that are known to reduce inflammation which ultimately helps fight off common diseases your body may encounter.
Can Improve Lung Function
A study has found that caffeine can improve airway function for people with asthma for up to 4 hours.
Can Up Your Fiber Intake
Coffee can contain an average of about 1.8 grams of fiber and it’s recommended you consume 20-38 grams of fiber a day.
Could Decrease Headaches
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that caffeine could help decrease headaches. Caffeine is found in medicines to treat headaches, however, studies have also found that caffeine could trigger headaches depending on how much caffeine you drink and how your body reacts to caffeine.
May Help Reduce Pain
Studies have found that caffeine may reduce pain sensitivity in mice, which could be promising for future studies to find a link between a reduction in pain for humans although it may be difficult to test.
Coffee Can Lower the Risk of Suicide
Multiple studies have found a correlation between caffeine consumption and a lowered risk of suicide.
Can Help Prevent Gout
Studies have found coffee consumption may contribute to a lower risk of developing gout.
Energy Boost
Caffeine acts as a stimulant to your body and thus contributes to a boost in energy.
Could Boost Libido in Women
Researchers from Southwestern University found that caffeine consumption increased the libido (a.k.a. sex drive) in female rats. The caffeine stimulated the brain that regulates sexual arousal. However, humans would have to drink around 10 cups of coffee to have the same effect.
Can Aid in Digestion
Caffeine can stimulate hormones to push food through your gut. It can also raise levels of gastrin which makes your colon more active.
Stronger DNA
A study has found drinking dark roast coffee contributes to decrease in spontaneous DNA strand breaks and regular consumption contributes to DNA integrity.
Reduced Risk of Colon Cancer
Researchers at the University of Southern California released a study where they have concluded drinking coffee decreases the risk of colon cancer.
Could Help With Erectile Dysfunction
A study has found drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day reduced the odds of prevalent erectile dysfunction in men.
Makes You Smarter
A study done by Okayama University found that caffeine can make the brain more flexible and resilient.
Could Reduce the Risk of Chronic Disease
Coffee is rich in many antioxidants, specifically chlorogenic acid, which has been linked by scientists as lowering blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Other antioxidants found in coffee have also been linked to lowering the risk of other chronic diseases like certain cancers and heart disease.
Reduced Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma
A study has found that coffee may contribute to lowering the risk of early onset of Basal Cell Carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
Increased Concentration
Studies are concluding that the caffeine in a cup of coffee stimulates the brain and can increase your concentration.
Increases the Ability to Solve Problems Requiring Reasoning
Along with an increase in concentration, studies are finding that coffee can increase your brain’s ability to solve problems with reasoning.
Reduce risk of Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer
Researchers have found that women who drink four or more cups per day are 25% less likely to develop endometrial cancer compared to women who drink only one cup a day, and 30% less likely than women who don’t drink any coffee. They also found that decaffeinated coffee was just as effective as caffeinated.
Could Help You Recover From Your Workout Faster
A study published in the Journal of Strength Conditioning and Research concluded that those who consumed caffeine an hour before strength training had significantly less muscle soreness than those who did not consume caffeine.
Drinking coffee can have a ton of health benefits and can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. If you didn’t already have a good reason to drink multiple cups of coffee a day, we hope you may have found one or two in this article!